Winter Light
by secondstar18
Summary: Songfic based on the song of the same title, primarily features Tumnus. Shorter than my other one, though. R&R!


**Title: Winter Light**

**Author: Naarelda**

**Disclaimer: I own neither Narnia nor the song "Winter Light" featured on the Narnia soundtrack and used in this fic. **

**A/N: Okay, so I was bored today and decided to do another songfic. This one's more from Tumnus' point of view, since the song is kinda from his view. It's also a bit shorter, mostly 'cause the song was shorter. Once again, I took a bit of creative licensing with any dialogue, 'cause I can't remember _everything_ I hear. Anyway, here you go…**

_It's always in the back of your mind  
When everything is dark, still something shines  
One chilly afternoon, you drew the blind_

Tumnus stood looking out his window into the snow-covered, shadowed forest of Narnia. In one hand, he held his bright red scarf, as if he were about to put it on. In the other, he held a note written by _her_.

It was an order. The order that she had told him would come someday, though he desperately hoped otherwise. Why, oh why had he agreed to be on _her_ side? What was he doing, holding _her_ summons and preparing to follow _her_ orders? And worst of all, what would Aslan think of this?

A lone tear slipped down one cheek as Tumnus stared out the window, haunted by the knowledge that he was soon going to be a betrayer for _her_. He had sworn years ago, at the beginning of this dreadful winter, that he would never join _her_ side. Now he was going against everything that he believed. Just because he was scared.

Scared of _her_ cutting off his horns. He was going to betray a friend of Aslan for his pathetic horns. Another tear fell down his cheek, and he let the summons letter fall from his fingers and drift to the floor.

"Never," he whispered. "I'll never work for _you_." The hand that had been holding the letter clenched into a tight fist; a symbol of his defiance. Tumnus tipped his head back bravely and glowered out the frosted windowpane. "Never for you," he repeated. "For Aslan."

As if by some hidden signal, wolves began to howl in the forest with eager intensity. Tumnus' eyes grew wide with fright, and one hand reached up to unconsciously touch his horns. He backed away from the window and stepped onto the letter with a crinkling noise.

In one movement, he reached down and picked the letter back up, threw his scarf around his neck, and grabbed the packages on the nearby table; packages that contained devices to ensure that the human would not leave him.

He felt like such a coward.

As Tumnus stepped outside, he felt a wave of despair come crashing down over him. This was it, then. _She_ would win. _She_ had been holding Narnia in the palm of her hand for a hundred years, and nothing was changing any time soon. What use was trying to defy her? _She_ would always win, every time. It was useless to fight back; he would just lose the little joy that he had in his horns.

Tumnus hurried through the woods, listening woefully to his thoughts of despair, when suddenly a ray of sunshine broke through the perpetual clouds over Narnia. He froze, stunned. It was the first ray of sunshine that he had seen in a hundred years that had not been affected by _her_ touch. In the back of his mind, a thought flittered around excitedly, but he ignored it, pressing on.

Was there _ever_ going to be a real hope for the Narnia he loved?

_The earth was frozen  
Ice upon the water  
All at once you saw her  
There in the Winter Light_

"Ah!" Tumnus shouted in shock at the strange creature that had so suddenly appeared, not in the least aware that the creature had made a similar, if not louder, sound. Frantic, he leapt behind the nearest tree, forsaking all his packages to the cold, damp snow that lay on the ground.

He gripped the handle of his umbrella tightly. If the creature decided to attack him, he thought, perhaps he could knock it over the head with his umbrella. He just hoped the umbrella didn't break; he liked this particular umbrella especially. Too bad he didn't bring the old, ugly one his aunt had given him a few years ago, that would have been better suited for this creature.

The bark of the tree pressed into Tumnus' back uncomfortably, and he shifted a bit to make himself more comfortable. Above him, a dumb squirrel chattered on a branch, and Tumnus was strangely aware of just how silent the forest had become with the hundred-year winter. After a moment when nothing happened, he turned around very slowly and carefully so he could get a better look at the creature.

As long as he lived, Tumnus swore he would never forget how Lucy looked when he first saw her.

_Then the light came bouncin' up, from stony ground  
And deep within the earth you heard the sound  
Breakin' like a rock you grew profound_

_The earth was frozen  
Ice upon the water  
All at once you saw her  
There in the Winter Light  
There in the Winter Light  
There in the Winter Light  
Making everything look beautiful_

The winter light was reflecting onto her face, and Tumnus was stunned. Around her, the trees, lamppost, rocks, and even the snow seemed more beautiful for her presence. He watched the light dance joyfully across her face, and it suddenly seemed to him as if all of Narnia was celebrating the presence of this human child.

For the creature was a human. Undoubtedly, assuredly so. And not only was it a human, it was small, and it was female. He had seen pictures of humans before in books, but all the pictures made humans look like fierce, frightening creatures. This little one looked more frightened than he.

The snow drifted to the ground in its continual, silent dance, landing flakes on the top of her head and on her eyelashes. She stood with one small hand on the lamppost, her head cocked curiously to one side as she surveyed Tumnus with a gentle eye. He almost smiled as he saw the fear in her eyes dissipate into curiosity and quiet excitement.

She was here to cure the shadows that had hung over the land for a hundred years. She was one of Aslan's chosen; he was sure of that now. A smile began to make its way across his face as he thought of her, this little girl, sitting on a throne at Cair Paravel with a golden crown. The sun would surely shine down on her just as happily as it did now.

Then a painful reality came crashing back to him when she lifted one of his packages from the ground and walked toward him slowly. The packages, the summons, the Witch. This child was to be brought to her and killed so that she would never sit on a throne at Cair Paravel. Brought by him. Oh, by the Lion's mane, what had he done? What was he about to do?

"I'm Lucy Pevensie."

_Light, a child with his own phantasmagoria   
Light that spills from billions of excited atoms  
Light that lingers in a quiet room  
Reveal for me shine for me  
_

Tumnus removed the crown from its pillow with the greatest delicacy he possessed. He marveled at the work the dwarves had done on it, with its small, shining leaves and flowers of silver. Truly, this was the best work he had ever seen done in the land of Narnia.

The emerald green scarf around his neck fell forward a bit as he rose to carry the crown up the steps. He gave a small smile as he remembered wearing a red scarf and going out one day into the forest to do _her_ tasks. He would never wear that scarf again, he thought. It seemed to him a symbol of his treachery, of his past. Red, the color of innocent blood. No, never again. Now he would wear green, the color of the new growth and life that had been infused into Narnia.

Fingers trembling, he ascended the stairs at Cair Paravel, aware of the hundreds of eyes fixated upon him. His hooves clattered somewhat on the marble floor as he walked toward the human destined to bear this crown.

She bowed her small, brown head for him, and he gently pressed the crown into the dancing curls, fighting tears. "Queen Lucy the Valiant," a voice cried from behind him.

He stepped back, beaming with joy at the sight of the four kings and queens. The little girl met his eyes with delight, her face shining with the excitement and wonder of the moment. Then she, along with her siblings, sat on the throne.

Tumnus inhaled sharply; wonder filling his eyes. Sunbeams had suddenly descended upon the four children, making their crowns glitter and sparkle with merriment. The children's heads were held high, bright smiles on their faces, and Tumnus remembered the picture he had in the forest of Lucy sitting on a throne, wearing a crown, and smiling for all of Narnia to see.

_There in the Winter Light  
Shine for me, reveal for me  
There in the Winter Light  
There in the Winter Light_

**A/N: So, how was it? I don't think I like it as much as my other one; this was done on a whim and in a few minutes. But, hey, I want to know what you guys think of it! Review and make my day!**

**-Naarelda**


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